Substrate processing apparatus and slit nozzle

Abstract

A slit nozzle includes a solution feeding mechanism having an elastic element and a plurality of piezoelectric devices and embedded in a side surface of a flow passage near a slit in the slit nozzle. Control is effected so that the piezoelectric devices are vibrated to cause the elastic element to produce traveling waves toward the slit. A resist solution serving as a processing solution is pumped by the traveling waves, thereby to be discharged through the slit toward a substrate. This provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of smoothly discharging the processing solution to accomplish high discharge accuracy.

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a holding table for holding a substrate;  
 a bridging structure supporting a slit nozzle for discharging from a slit thereof a predetermined processing solution, said bridging structure being provided to span across a surface of said holding table; and  
 a moving mechanism for moving said bridging structure along a surface of the substrate held by said holding table;  
 said slit nozzle including a liquid feeding element provided in a gap in said slit nozzle and extending in a direction toward said slit and applying varying forces distributed along said direction, in a manner that causes said processing solution to form a wave oscillating in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction toward said slit while traveling in said direction toward said slit, thereby feeding said processing solution in said direction toward said slit by using a wave characteristic of said wave;  
 wherein while said bridging structure is moved along the surface of said substrate, said slit nozzle scans the surface of said substrate to form a layer of said processing solution on the surface of said substrate.  
 
   
   
     2. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element is provided near in said slit.  
 
   
   
     3. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a flow rate control element for controlling the flow rate of said processing solution fed in said direction toward said slit by said liquid feeding element.  
 
   
   
     4. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 said flow rate control element controls the flow rate of said processing solution individually in each of a plurality of positions along said slit.  
 
   
   
     5. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 control by said flow rate control element provides a nearly uniform flow rate of said processing solution.  
 
   
   
     6. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element includes a surface acoustic wave generating device, and said surface acoustic wave generating device feeds said processing solution in said direction toward said slit.  
 
   
   
     7. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element constitutes a gap defining surface of said slit nozzle.  
 
   
   
     8. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element is supported in said gap in said slit nozzle by a support member.  
 
   
   
     9. The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element vibrates in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction toward said slit.  
 
   
   
     10. A slit nozzle comprising:
 a slit for discharging a predetermined processing solution; and  
 a liquid feeding element provided in a gap in said slit nozzle and extending in a direction toward said slit, and applying varying forces distributed along said direction, in a manner that causes said processing solution to form a wave oscillating in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction toward said slit while traveling in said direction toward said slit, thereby feeding said processing solution in said direction toward said slit by using a wave characteristic of said wave, whereby a layer of said processing solution is formed on a surface of a substrate.  
 
   
   
     11. The slit nozzle according to  claim 10 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element is provided near said slit.  
 
   
   
     12. The slit nozzle according to  claim 10 , further comprising
 a flow rate control element for controlling the flow rate of said processing solution fed in said direction toward said slit by said liquid feeding element.  
 
   
   
     13. The slit nozzle according to  claim 12 , wherein
 said flow rate control element controls the flow rate of said processing solution individually in each of a plurality of positions along said slit.  
 
   
   
     14. The slit nozzle according to  claim 12 , wherein
 control by said flow rate control element provides a nearly uniform flow rate of said processing solution.  
 
   
   
     15. The slit nozzle according to  claim 10 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element includes a surface acoustic wave generating device, and said surface acoustic wave generating device feeds said processing solution in said direction toward said slit.  
 
   
   
     16. The slit nozzle according to  claim 15 , wherein
 said surface acoustic wave generating element constitutes a gap defining surface of said slit nozzle.  
 
   
   
     17. The slit nozzle according to  claim 15 , wherein
 said surface acoustic wave generating element is supported in said gap in said slit nozzle by a support member.  
 
   
   
     18. The slit nozzle according to  claim 10 , wherein
 said liquid feeding element vibrates in a direction substantially perpendicular to said direction toward said slit.  
 
   
   
     19. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a holding table for holding a substrate to which a layer of processing solution is to be applied, the holding table having a width dimension and length dimension;  
 a slit nozzle supported above the table and having a sufficient width dimension to span across the substrate, the slit nozzle serving to discharge the processing solution onto the surface of said substrate;  
 a moving mechanism for moving said slit nozzle generally along said length dimension of said table while applying said processing solution;  
 a processing solution feeding mechanism disposed within said slit nozzle and constructed to feed said processing solution in a direction toward said substrate; and  
 said processing feeding mechanism including at least one wave generator that imparts to said processing solution a wavelike property that propagates in a direction toward said substrate, in a manner that enables controlling a processing solution flow rate across said slit nozzle and forming a uniform layer of said processing solution on the surface of said substrate, said processing feeding mechanism being operable by applying varying forces distributed along said direction.